


A Little Mystery

by TheVicarofShipley



Category: Scott & Bailey
Genre: 90s AU, F/F, Fluff, I just love Gill and Julie together so much, Inspired by Music, Slow Burn, head canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 06:29:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14971076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVicarofShipley/pseuds/TheVicarofShipley
Summary: Gill and Julie go to lunch.





	A Little Mystery

**Author's Note:**

> I am brand new to this community - I only began reading fanfic about two weeks ago - and this is my first attempt at writing any of my own.
> 
> You all make it look effortless.
> 
> Thank you for writing for us and for yourselves (and for us).
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this little piece.
> 
> \----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Fancy lunch?" Julie Dodson asks, sidling up to Gill Prescott's desk. She raps her knuckles against the wooden top when Gill doesn’t respond, so deeply focused on the spread of paperwork before her, eyeglasses slipping all the way to the edge of her perfectly pointed nose.

 

Gill raises her chin slowly. She’s bleary-eyed from reading fine print, and she squints as she meets Julie’s gaze, as if she is stepping out into the sun.

 

"God, yes. Take me away from this place." Gill replies, only barely exaggerating her weariness as she pushes back from the desk.

 

Julie smiles, a chuckle escaping her lips, as she goes to collect her and Gill's jackets from the coat rack, only to return and find Gill desperately planing her palms across the desktop of papers.

 

Julie sighs. "You've already got them on," she offers, shaking her head pitiably.

 

Gill turns sharply and narrows her eyes at meeting Julie’s, feigning indignation as her hands find her eyeglasses at her crown.

 

"Got everything, you dozy old cow?" Julie asks offering Gill her coat. "When was last you slept?"

 

"Mind your business, Julie Dodson," Gill says, tossing her jacket on and slipping her arm through Julie's.

 

\----

 

"I'm so exhausted. I just can't sleep," Gill laments, pushing through the precinct doors and stepping out onto the street. "What are you thinking for lunch?"

 

"There's a new place I've heard of - quick, cheap, reportedly edible, allegedly good. Maybe 15 minutes away? I'll drive." Julie says, pointing towards her car and casually dropping Gill's arm.

 

Climbing in, Julie turns the key and the car comes to life blaring Belinda Carlisle as she belts " _Ooooohh! Heaven is a Place on Earth_ " through the speakers at full volume.

 

"Christ, Slap!" Gill shouts over the music, having just properly leapt out of her skin.

 

Julie smiles meagerly over her shoulder, turning the volume nob with great ceremony.

 

"Is that how loud you always listen? How you have any hearing at all is beyond me." Gill says, low, buckling her seatbelt and straightening her suit.

 

“Pardon?” Julie shouts, shifting into gear.

 

“I said –“.

 

"Come again?" Julie shouts louder, pulling out of her parking space and smirking over her shoulder.

 

"You. Are. Hilarious." Gill says, staccato, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes again, determined to extinguish a smile as Julie settles onto the road and back into her seat, self satisfied.

 

"I'm sorry – I forgot you don't enjoy music,” Julie says, eyeing Gill from her periphery, sensing full well how she is winding Gill up.

 

"Excuse me? I most certainly do."

 

"My apologies. I meant, you don't enjoy **good** music."

 

"How dare you."

 

Julie flashes her another antagonizing grin and turns the volume dial back up before recognizing the opening chords of a Divinyls song and opts to leave the dial where it stands. She can just imagine Gill's face – smug, one raised eyebrow and two lips fixed in a position that unequivocally asks, "you really want to argue for the meritoriousness of 'I Touch Myself.'"

 

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Julie. Some of us are listening to **real** music, not just the UK Singles Charts."

 

Julie mimes as if she's been shot in the chest, before a smile creeps across her face.

 

Gill laughs.

 

"How far is this place? I'm famished." Gill asks, shuffling out of her shoes and turning to gaze out the window.

 

Julie makes a right turn, too quick. Intentionally so. Just enough to jostle Gill in her seat.

 

"Oh, go on. Please. Just make yourself at home." Julie glances at her wristwatch. "Traffic permitting, just a few minutes more, your Ladyship."

 

Gill waves her off and moves to hang her heels from the car door's side pockets.

 

"Any plans for this weekend?" Gill asks.

 

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Julie smiles to herself as the The B52s' Love Shack comes on. “ _If ya see a faded sign at the side of the road that says_ -“ She moves to turn up the volume, but Gill's hand beats hers to the stereo buttons, switching the station.

 

"Hey! I like that song!" Julie protests.

 

"No. Something softer - his voice is so... " Gill's voice trails off as she lands on a station midway through an Amy Grant song. "Amy Grant! This is better."

 

"Oh, so, Her Majesty **does** know the music of us commoners!"

 

Gill launches into a grand 5 seconds of a royal Queen Elizabeth wave, a quick two-finger salute sandwiched in the middle. They both laugh.

 

" _Baby, baby...."_ muses huskily in the background. _This **is** better,_ Julie agrees to herself. _Is Gill humming along?_ Julie adds a harmony to the refrain as Gill sits silently for a moment, listening.

 

"I'm sorry." Gill interrupts Julie as the song begins its long wind-down. "You were saying you have big plans this weekend?" she asks, turning to Julie as they approach a stop light.

 

"Yes, before I was so rudely interrupted," she starts, straightening in her seat with faux outrage. "I have tickets to-"

 

A familiar opening guitar lick floods the car as Julie lets out a small shriek, leaping from her seat and popping the clutch in the process. Grimacing apologetically out the window to a neighbouring driver, she restarts the car with one hand while reaching feverishly to crank the volume with the other.

 

" _People are talking, talking 'bout people..."_ a sultry voice fills the car.

 

"My sister and I have tickets to see her at Free Trade this Friday!" Julie beams, as traffic began to move.

 

"And this is?" Gill asks.

 

Julie's brow furrows. "Bonnie Raitt.”

 

Gill’s face registers nothing.

 

“She’s one of my favorites?” Julie offers.

 

Gill just shrugs.

 

“You know this song," Julie declares, incredulously.

 

Looking down the road in quiet disbelief, Julie determines to will Gill to remember.  “This is a hit song."

 

"Is it?" Gill turns, disinterested. "Well, you would know."

 

A look of suspicion dances across Julie's face.

 

"Gill. You know this song." Julie assures, but Gill only pouts, shaking her head apologetically in reply.

 

 _I know she knows this song_ , Julie thinks, and, undeterred, begins singing along. Loudly.

 

" _I just ignore it, but they keep saying...We laugh just a little too loud_ ," hamming it up and throwing her head back in exaggerated laughter, expecting to leave Gill in stitches, only to turn and find Gill more confused than anything, and, is it, looking almost embarrassed for her?

 

Julie blushes a bit in shame and trails off, letting Bonnie go it alone, " _We stand just a little too close-_ "

 

Training her eyes on the road, Julie senses Gill digging in the footwell, probably putting her heels back on in anticipation of arriving at the restaurant.

 

" _We stare just a little too long_ ," Bonnie sings, Julie tapping the rhythm on the steering wheel as the chorus builds, " _Maybe they're seeing_ -"

  

" **SOMETHING WE DON'T DARLIN!** " Gill shouts in time, but brilliantly out of tune, at the top of her lungs.

 

Julie nearly pops the clutch again. Startled clear out of her seat, she turns to face Gill, who is cracking herself up singing into the heel of one of her pumps.

 

She is a vision - exceedingly pleased with herself – and Julie starts laughing so hard that tears form at the corners of her eyes.

 

"You cow!" Julie shouts, making a playful swat at her. "Taking the piss! I knew you knew this song."

 

But Gill is refusing to break. She is full out performing this song from the passenger seat, and she will not be denied. " _I feel so foolish. I never noticed_."

 

Julie turns beet red, shaking her head laughing, trying to catch her breath and keep her eyes on the road.

 

" _You act so nervous_." Gill and Bonnie sing in tandem.

 

 _An indictment?_ Julie wonders.

 

 _“Me_?!,” she mouths to Gil, while silently, comically, pointing to herself.

 

Gill nods with great farce, " _Could you be falling for m-"_

 

"You wish!" Julie shouts over the music before Gill gets there. Still laughing, Julie settles into her seat as she pulls into the parking lot and scans for available spaces.

 

" _It took a rumour to make me wonder. Now I'm convinced I'm going under_."

 

Julie finds a spot and shifts the car into Park, clicking out of her seatbelt and turning to give Gill her full attention, a smug smile across her face.

 

" _Thinking ‘bout you every day_."

 

Julie will allow Gill this show, she’ll even join in - miming “ _thinking_ ” in time to the lyrics, tapping her chin, puckering her lips, furrowing her brow as if contemplating deeply. The background singers respond, " _Every day._ "

 

" _Dreaming ‘bout you every night._ "

 

Julie raises an eyebrow, as if to ask “ _is that so?_ " and winks across the center console before she even considers if she wants to call Gill’s bluff.

 

It's Gill's turn to go beet red, and she does, stumbling over the next lyrics before recommitting and throwing herself into a chorus at max volume, eyes closed, singing her heart out like a pre-teen at a slumber party.

 

Julie shakes her head and rolls her eyes, taking a moment to gaze hopelessly at Gill as she shout-sings " **A LITTLE MYSTERY TO FIGURE OUT**."

 

 _“A little mystery_ ,” is right, Julie thinks to herself, watching Gill and considering this performance. _She’s tired, she’s overworked, she needs food,_ Julie reasons, as she makes a move to open the car door.

 

At the sound of the lock flicking up, Gill's eyes shoot open - "Not before the instrumental break!" she demands, sitting up and composing herself for the opening strains of an air guitar solo.

 

Julie laughs, "I’m sorry, but what happened to 'exhausted,' ‘famished,’....”

 

Resigning herself to not get an answer, she rests into her seat and tilts her head back to watch Gill focus on flawlessly executing her air guitar performance.

 

Julie can’t help but smile. She uses this time to take in Gill’s features - her dark eyelashes, her beautiful, high cheek bones, the way her hair falls across them. _She’s tired. She’s hungry. She needs a night off_ , Julie thinks.

 

The chorus returns and Julie takes this opportunity to dial the volume down by half and cut in, making radio static sounds, then, “Paging Lita Ford. Could you remind Gill we have a lunch date? Over.”

 

Gill tosses her hair back and tilts her chin up, opening her eyes slowly to meet Julie’s gaze. A decidedly un-amused look on her face. "You. Are. Hilarious.”

 

“I try,” Julie smiles, reaching to gather her bag from the backseat with her left as she pushes the door ajar with her right.

 

Just as quickly, Gill dons her shoes and is out of the car running her hands down to smooth over the wrinkles of her skirt. Looking into the car at her reflection, she checks her appearance, fixing her hair.

 

Adjusting the side view mirror outward, Gill crouches to meet her reflection as Julie comes around the car and leans against the bonnet, half-singing the refrain. She looks down at Gill swiveling her lipstick up and pressing it to her lips. “Planning to meet a bunch of adoring fans, sign some autographs in here?” Julie smirks.

 

Gill blots her lips together, returns the lipstick to her bag and the mirror to its position.  She rises and, chin raised, strides up to Julie. She takes her arm.

 

“Mind your business, Julie Dodson.”

 


End file.
